Reviewed by Paul Davies
August 2013
“This play isn’t about any old sausage” says Damon Hill in his directors notes. It’s true. It’s not at all. Like all good farce it’s about confusion, different standards, fibs, and findings-out. Hill’s production of Fred Carmichael’s play has it all. It also has pace, and a couple of brilliant slapstick moments.
Some characters in this play have more to do than others, but it’s really a true ensemble piece. Each actor has their strengths, and when they’re brought out it shows! Selena Britz is technically great. Lewis Baker shows off a talent for an accent. Nick Hargreaves is a big stage presence in more way’s than one and elicited what must have been, for him, a satisfying audience murmur. Brendan Cooney and Adrian Heness show how farce should be done. They know how to deliver some great lines, and it’s when this sort of performance looks easy that you know there’s talent on the stage. Stacey Hendy is an enthusiastic and endearing sidekick. Merici Thompson channels Margot from The Good Life to great effect. Chris Galipo steals the stage like a Rainbow Parrot on amphetamines, and Ben Kempster obviously revels in playing the baddie.
All told, a fun night out, not just for the audience, but also for the cast, and that’s the secret of a good farce. If at times the musical theatre pedigree of some shows through in the delivery it’s easy to forgive. When the cast is having a good time it’s going to be good to watch too.
